Ford and Herrod set for another Aussie supercharged Mustang
R-Spec is a sell-out but 10-speed auto luxury version now under considerationAnother locally modified, factory-backed supercharged V8 Mustang is in the works, but it won’t be a second run of the sold-out Ford Mustang R-Spec.
Instead, carsales.com.au understands the Ford Australia and Herrod Performance project combines the 500kW/800Nm (estimated) Ford Performance drivetrain with the Ford Mustang GT’s 10-speed automatic transmission.
The car will not be called a Ford Mustang R-Spec and will likely have a more luxurious positioning.
Like the R-Spec, a batch of around 500 would be built on the same assembly line in the old Ford plant at Campbellfield.
Both Ford Australia and Herrod Performance are staying quiet about the project, but the push for the new car to happen is understood to be strong in the wake of the success of the R-Spec.
Ford Australia president Kay Hart confirmed R-Spec would not be getting a second production run despite demand outstripping supply.
“We have no plans to build any more [R-Specs],” Hart told carsales.com.au.
“We think we have hit the right number. It is a limited edition vehicle and so we believe 500 is right for the market.”
But Hart was clear – as she has been for some time – that short-run Australian-specific projects are part of her plan for the Ford brand and Mustang.
“I think one of the things that this [R-Spec] has helped us [with] is to think about how to do things differently and how to collaborate and how to bring a vehicle to market.
“So I have no doubt there are other options available to us for the future.
“Could be another Mustang, could be a Ranger, could be anything,” Hart told carsales.
Of course, Mustang isn’t the only local modification job that’s been mooted for a Ford model, with the Ranger Raptor linked to a V8 program.
Officially, according to Ford Australia, the Ford Mustang R-Spec was manual-only because that suited its performance focus. But carsales understands automatic transmission versions were tested with the supercharged drivetrain in Australia when R-Spec was being developed. Then, they suffered some cooling issues.
While the details are unclear, a fix has been found for that, which could potentially be applied to the car without impacting one of its most important assets, its five-year Ford factory warranty.
While an auto model sounds like it might be a bit more relaxed, the reality is it should be even quicker than the manual.
Media testing of the manual R-Spec is so far managing 0-100km/h times in the 4.6-4.7sec region and 0-400m dashes in around 12-5-12.7secs range.
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